The Air Force Research Laboratory is working with Cornell University to launch a new center of excellence to foster studies on beta-gallium oxide. AFRL-Cornell Center for Epitaxial Solutions or ACCESS will study the material holding the potential to function as a semiconductor of greater performance than standard materials such as silicon and solar cells, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said Monday.

The laboratory’s Air Force Office of Scientific Research selected Cornell to lead the center. ACCESS will give Cornell students access to facilities at the university and Wright-Patterson AFB for collaborative R&D efforts with AFRL researchers.

“ACCESS will be a unique collaboration between researchers at Cornell and counterparts at AFRL, enhanced by the exchange of students and researchers between these labs,” says Ali Sayir, program officer of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

AFRL awarded a three-year, $3 million grant to Cornell for the establishment of ACCESS.

The Department of Energy is investing $31 million to develop technologies to facilitate the generation, transportation, storage and usage of hydrogen for the country. DOE said on Monday that the department intends to implement the H2@Scale concept, which is designed to foster new hydrogen-based, fuel cell technologies and applications in various industrial areas including steel manufacturing and ammonia production. 

The effort would revolve around three topics: advanced hydrogen storage and infrastructure research and development, hydrogen production and utilization, integrated production, storage and fueling systems. Interested firms may submit concept proposals through April 8, with final applications due on May 29.
 

The Office of Management and Budget has yet to issue guidance for federal agencies to implement provisions for a new law intended to digitize government services to ensure such services are accessible to the public, NextGov reported on Monday. President Trump signed the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act on Dec. 20 and federal agencies have until June 18 to create action plans to carry out the law’s provisions.

“The Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer and the CIO Council have hosted working sessions with stakeholders and agency CIOs to discuss requirements of the 21st Century IDEA Act,” a senior administration official told the publication. “Additional working sessions are planned for the future and the OFCIO and the CIO Council will continue to work with agencies and Congress on implementation efforts,” the official added.

Under the IDEA Act, agencies will have a year to enforce the standards to federal websites and apps and come up with budget plans to digitize paper-based procedures. The law also calls for agencies to submit annual progress reports to Congress in the next five years, the report noted. 

Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy has offered a preview of the service’s budget request for fiscal 2020 at a Center for a New American Security event held on Monday, FCW reported Monday.

“There are some hard choices in this budget, and there will be more in the future,” McCarthy said about the service’s spending plan to be released next week. “A lot of the cuts you’ll see are in the backend of the budget because that’s where we’ll need the financing the most, because that’s when [prototypes] are going through the operational test and start the fielding” across the service. 

The report noted the service has cut programs worth more than $30 billion over five years as part of a zero-based approach to find and redirect funds to other initiatives.
 

The U.S. Navy commissioned its 16th littoral combat ship during a ceremony on March 2 at the Columbus Street Terminal in Charleston, South Carolina. USS Charleston, also known as LCS 18, was part of a commissioning ceremony held before 5,000 guests including Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, the Navy said Sunday.

The vessel is the ninth Independence variant ship in the fleet, and it succeeds five previous ships that carried Charleston’s name throughout history including the Spanish-American War, both World Wars and the Vietnam War.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., delivered the ceremony’s principal address. Charlotte Riley, wife of former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, ordered the activation of LCS 18 as the ship’s sponsor.

“USS Charleston has the ability to tackle asymmetrical threats like mines, quiet diesel submarines and at the same time, fast surface ships,” Scott said.

The Navy will move USS Charleston to Naval Base San Diego where the ship will remain in port along with other units assigned to LCS Squadron 1.